Alexander Calder

Perls Galleries, New York
Private Collection, New London
By descent to the present owner from the above circa 1965

This work is in very good condition overall. All the elements are stable and secure. All the elements move smoothly and freely. There are scattered pinpoint losses to the wire rods and on the painted elements.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

"Why must art be static? You look at an abstraction, sculptured or painted, an entirely exciting arrangement of planes, spheres, nuclei, entirely without meaning. It would be perfect but it is always still. The next step in sculpture is motion." In 1932, Alexander Calder, the internationally renowned artist who invented the mobile, was already thinking critically about how to vivify his art. Calder first employed movement in his work with motorized kinetic sculptures in 1931, which Marcel Duchamp labeled "mobiles." Calder soon abandoned his mechanized sculptures in pursuit of works that would undulate on their own, without the assistance of a motor.

 

Over the next two decades Calder perfected the art of his hanging mobiles, often experimenting with every component involved, whether it was color, shape, or materials. Ranging from shards of pottery, to wood, to metal, Calder explored how various materials moved under gravity and by ambient motion of wind and air. Yellow Eye, Red Dot, was created in 1951, one year after his densely packed retrospective at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. This work, which is composed of a yellow disc with a hollowed-out eye and a red dot which balances its right side, is a terrific example of Calder's mid-career style and work, vividly representing how Calder expected his illusionistic sculptures to act. "The simplest forms in the universe are the sphere and the circle. I represent them by disks and then I vary them... spheres of different sizes, densities, colors and volumes, floating in space, traversing clouds, sprays of water, currents of air, viscosities and odors – of the greatest variety and disparity." The thin wire construction, implementation of primary colors and hollowing technique in Yellow Eye, Red Dot illustrates Calder's expertise not only in maintaining balance and motion, but in achieving a sleek, yet cheerful elegance.